Jennifer Lopez has opened up in her first interview since splitting with Marc Anthony, telling Vanity Fair that she still believes in love and that despite their best efforts, the duo simply couldn't make their seven-year marriage work.

"Sometimes it doesn't work -- and that's sad," says Lopez, who has now been married three times. "But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love."

Lopez insists she's moving on with her life since the shocking mid-July announcement, saying she's going to "bring up my babies, and do the best job I can as a mother, entertainer, and person."

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(In the "entertainer" department, Lopez has reportedly inked a $20 million deal to return to 'American Idol' for another season of judging young talent. The contract, reported by TheWrap, has not been confirmed by FOX.)

Lopez, 41 calls herself a "hopeless romantic" when it comes to love and explains how she came to realize her marriage to Anthony, 42, wasn't working.

"To understand that a person is not good for you, or that that person is not treating you in the right way, or that he is not doing the right thing for himself -- if I stay, then I am not doing the right thing for me," she says. "I love myself enough to walk away from that now."

Lopez showers Anthony with praise in the VF interview and hinted that they could continue working together professionally and, more importantly, as co-parents to their 3-year-old twins, Max and Emme.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Break Up

"I will always respect Marc as a singer and performer," Lopez says. "He will always be in our lives. He will always hold a special place in my heart as the father of my children."

The couple, once thought to be one of Hollywood's most stable, announced on July 15 that they were ending their marriage.